Betrayed

There was a moment of stunned silence that descended on the hall, following my announcement. I kept my eyes straight ahead, my gaze holding Alpha Cole's, unwavering.

And then it erupted. Chaos. I could hear the names they called me, the scandalized gasps of wolves who couldn't believe that an escape omega like me could refuse to wait around and be rejected and humiliated by the alpha of their pack for the more politically advantageous woman.

"How dare you?" Came a cold, feminine voice.

I finally tore my gaze away from Alpha Cole and turned to the new woman. It was Sylvia, and she was standing right next to her father, Isaac. "How dare you reject Alpha Cole and your duty?"

"Why?" I laughed, a single, stubborn tear rolling down my cheek. "Were you hoping to laugh at the hapless bodyguard girl who would be tossed aside in your favour simply because you were born with influence? Were you hoping to find satisfaction in the severance of my mate bond?"

"Do not dare speak to me like that," she spat, her eyes filled with venom. "A mate bond? You are a servant. The moon goddess made a mistake with that bond, and Alpha Cole may have been kind enough to let whatever happened last night..."

"Kind?" I asked, pain searing through me as my eyes turned to Alpha Cole for a moment.

Last night, now a poisoned memory flashed in my eyes. I could hear his voice against my skin, his body warm against mine. His eyes met mine, and for a brief second, I could tell he could see it all too.

"I didn't know a man moaning my name all night was kind," I said, turning to Sylvia. "What do we do? You will have to relive the ghost of my moans in that room. You can have the utmost fun marrying the remains I am graceful enough to leave for you." 

A second round of gasps swept the hall, as my fists clenched hard. I turned around, the pieces of my broken heart and severed mate bond falling away to the floor at my feet.

I reached for the door knob of the banquet hall for when Alpha Cole's voice came, stopping me in place.

"Selena Stone."

I froze, my feet stopping involuntarily. The use of my full name was like an insult to everything, to last night. I turned slowly, my throat working to keep the tears away. I wouldn't give any of them the pleasure of seeing me break down. Of seeing me cry.

Alpha Cole's eyes were cold, distant, and in all my years of serving him, I have never seen him look at me that way. It only broke my heart a little more.

"Your family swore an allegiance to protect me and my family. In blood. Before the moon goddess herself," he said, his voice low, devoid of emotion. "Your father died, protecting mine. You were scarred, protecting me. You remain under that allegiance, Selena Stone. It is the only thing keeping you protected. It is the only thing that makes you a ranked wolf, instead of an omega. If you walk out of this banquet hall, leaving your duty to me, I shall consider it a betrayal, and you, a traitor to me, my family, and the blood of your father."

I held my breath, tears dancing in my eyes, stinging so hard that it felt like wolfsbane at the back of my eyes.

My father would have hated this. My father would have protected this family. He would have done everything for the alphas.

But he wouldn't have let me wait around for a man to reject me. He wouldn't have let me wait around to become a rogue. If anything, I will go with my head held high.

"Then so be it," I said simply. "My protection of you ends right here, and I expect your protection of me to end here too."

"My protection of you will not only end, Selena," there was a warning in his tone. A warning I would never, ever heed to. "I shall actively consider you a traitor. A threat to my pack, to my rule, and to my life. You might not even be able to step out of this palace."

Sylvia broke into a smile, bringing her hands to fold in front of her.

I quietly reached for the weapons I always carried as his guard. A wolfsbane laced dagger and a gun with silver bullets.

"I would like to see you try."

I turned away finally, pushing the door open. I expected him to stop me one more time. A foolish, hopeful part of me still hoped that he would change his mind. That he would laugh and say it was one of his stupid, dry jokes, and everyone would find it amusing.

But his words never came again.

I walked out of the banquet hall and made my way downstairs towards the large entrance.

I stepped outside, just as four soldiers blocked my path.

"You are not allowed to leave," the head said, his eyes refusing to meet mine. "Alpha's orders."

I brought the gun I was holding to his forehead. "Let me go."

None of them budged.

I turned at the sound of footsteps. More soldiers were heading my way. One of them was holding the famous bounding chain, infused with enough wolfsbane and silver to keep even an alpha in check.

They were the formidable assassins that belonged to Isaac's troop. The same troop that Alpha Cole had rejected me for.

My life flashed before my eyes. Before the soldiers could reach me, I turned, shooting straight at the knee of the first one to my right.

The sudden gunshot caused the others to move, and I cut through them, breaking into a mad run.

"Seize her!" Came the orders behind me, but I didn't even stop to see who exactly gave the orders.

I turned, abandoning the civilization of the pack to fall into the bushy paths that led to the secret tunnel outside the pack.

I turned back once, and they were behind me, running like their lives depended on it too.

I cursed under my breath as I ran faster, ignoring the burn in my legs.

I didn't let myself feel the heartbreak, and pushed even further, cutting through the thick bush path. Shrubs cut at my face and hands, but I pushed through, till I could finally see the tunnel.

I immediately pushed the heavy gates that surrounded it and plunged through, my breaths scattered.

For at least ten minutes, I heard nothing as I pushed through the tunnel, the sound of my own rapid heartbeat the only accompanying thing in the dark, long tunnel.

The other end was a safe distance away from the pack, right outside, and once I made it through, I would think of what to do with my brand new rogue status.

I finally started to see the light seeping in through the opening. I pushed further, my trousers tearing at the knees from all the crawling.

I pushed till I felt the iron gates, and with one swift move of my dagger, pushed it away.

I threw my legs out, then started to move out of the tunnel, when I heard it.

"Just surrender, Selena."

I froze, then turned, my eyes wide. Soldiers, at least ten of them were standing around the tunnel.

Isaac was standing behind them, his hands clasped behind him, a wicked smile passing through his face.

I immediately clutched my gun and dagger, then slowly stood up.

"Let me go. You have just one chance."

"I admire your guts, Omega," Isaac said, his voice holding a condescending tone.

My eyes met his. "I am not an omega."

"Oh, you are even worse right now. The omegas have freedom. You will rot in the solitary underground jail, wishing you had let things take their natural course."

"Am I? Seeing how you left your precious daughter's pretentious little banquet to ensure my capture, I am not just some omega."

The first soldier charged towards me. I turned swiftly, shooting the silver bullet right into his upper arm. I turned back to Isaac, levelling the gun at him, my other hand swinging the dagger.

"I will not hesitate to put it right into your heart."

He laughed. A mocking, degrading laugh that made me want to make true my threat. But I am not a murderer.

"Do everything you can. Consider her a criminal, a traitor to the pack, and nothing else. I have a wedding to attend to."

He turned away, leaving the soldiers standing around.

"Just let me go," I said through gritted teeth. But they did the exact opposite.

Three immediately charged forward, and I shot again, immediately bringing one to his knees. Before I could turn and shoot, one launched right into me, wrapping his hands around my gun.

"Fuck," I cursed, as his fist connected to my stomach.

"Catch her," the head guard said simply.

The rest of the soldiers immediately covered the distance to me.

I grabbed the first one by his hair, my knee hitting his side repeatedly, a groan escaping him. I pushed him right into the remaining soldiers, just as another one kicked me right on the stomach.

A grunt left my lips, my back arching outward. He reached to kick again, and I swung my dagger, drawing blood from his unprotected foot.

He let out a guttural yell and fell back, as the others charged, even angrier now.

Yet another fist connected to my stomach. He didn't give me a chance to recover, till my vision blurred, and I could taste the metallic tang of my own blood.

He brought me to my knees, his fingers fisting in my hair, his eyes wide.

Once his hand was a mere inch away from my eyes, I ducked, pushing him hard with all of my remaining strength.

I grabbed the dagger and cut blindly at the nearest soldier, then broke into a run, away from the tunnel and from them.

I heard the curse as they started to follow me, but then suddenly stopped.

I should have turned to see why.

The bullet pierced my stomach before I even heard the gunshot.

I froze, my lips parting, the pain of the bullet and the silver scattering inside of me merging into one big sensation that threatened to break me into pieces.

"We are to bring you dead or alive," the shooter snorted, his voice filled with venom. "I will tell him you died by the gun you were supposed to be protecting the alpha with."

Tears filled my eyes as I slowly looked down at my stomach. Blood was trickling down, fast and hard, to my thighs.

I cursed under my breath, and mustering whatever was left of me, continued to run.

It was blinding, painful, and more than once, I almost slumped into the bushes. The skies darkened above me, thunder claps raging, but I didn't stop. I could barely see through the thick fog of my pain, but I knew I couldn't die like this. Not right now. Not this way.

I finally fell to my knees as the first drop of rain fell on my forehead. My nails digging into the soil as I tried to crawl forward, but the effects of the silver was finally too much for me, and I lay on the floor, my eyes wide, my chest heaving hard.

Curse you, Alpha Cole. I loved you. I was mated to you. I could have killed for you. Died for you.

How could you order the death of the same person who put her life on the line for you, countless times? How could you let me die by your hands after everything?

How could you be so heartless?

Tears ran down the sides of my eyes as the weakness filled me up, and my eyes closed against the falling rain.

I heard footsteps running towards me, and then a small pause.

"A woman is injured," said the voice of a man, and I let out a small, shaky breath. "Selena? Is this really... Selena?"

I heard the rustle of feet.

"I know her," an eerily familiar voice said, panting. Whoever it was sounded like they had been running. Who is he? Who is he talking to? "I am here to take her."

There was silence as my eyes slowly closed, and the sounds blurred into noise. For a few minutes, the world narrowed to basically nothing. Something fell beside me, and the rain water splashed all over me.

A familiar scent hit my nostrils, and I moved slowly. It smelled like mint. Like... Beta Ian. Was I just smelling things because I was dying?

I closed my eyes even tighter, accepting my fate. Whether it was back at the pack I have served all my life, or this new territory, whatever it was, this death was probably my destiny.

All of the noise, the rain, the thunder, the occasional lightning, faded into white noise above me, and then.... nothing.